The atmosphere at Lazio's home ground was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had conceded 10 goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or had there never been a thread maintaining its structure in the first place? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, but then he to later acknowledge that the board had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were facing for fiscal problems. Speculation that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized during matches as behind the scenes, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other first five games, which included the capital clash. From one game to the next, observers have struggled to determine if they're getting better or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Surprising Comeback
At least one man continued to smile amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio this season. He completed the last one with Parma on loan and, during the summer break, Lazio were attempting to remain there for another season. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad lacking backup options.
He joined originally during Sarri's previous tenure, back then just 20 years old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, almost all of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri was destined for stardom but then not selecting him."
Discovering His Natural Fit
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to work out the exact type of the player's talent. Originally described as an attacking winger on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile as center forward. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
